So, I’ve been on a shoe kick lately I know. But now that Spring is inching her way closer and closer, I’ve got them on the brain. I’ve banished my TerraPlana eco-boots to the back of the closet, and I’m ready to start browsing this year’s funnest eco shoes and sandals.

I was on Treehugger this morning and caught one of their features that fit right in with my current eco-shoe obsession: GreenSoul Shoes. This shoe company not only makes awesome sandals out of recycled rubber tires, but they also donate one pair of shoes to a shoeless child for every pair they sell.

As you can imagine, I was hooked. And the more I learned about this amazing company, the more excited I got.

GreenSoul Shoes stand out for several reasons.

First, instead of just sending money to impoverished areas they’ve developed a framework to employ local artisans. For instance, the company started in Manila. They hired local labor to pull old tires and inner tubes out of the dump, and then hired local artisans to make the sandals. For every pair they sold from that particular batch, they donated a pair of shoes within that local community. So, the artisans could actually see the good they were doing for their children, in addition to earning money to feed their own families.

Currently GreenSoul Shoes works in three countries: Cambodia, Vietnam and Peru. Eventually, we’ll be able to use GoogleMaps on their site to handpick where we want our shoes to come from, which is super cool.

GreenSoul’s newest line of sandals is made from rice husks and old conveyer belts. Take a look:

That is the pair I want!

Amazingly enough, these sandals sell for $50. An incredible bargain, considering how much good they’re doing in the world.

GreenSoul also sells a few lovely necklaces and bags that their artisans make from reclaimed materials. You can see them all here.

I’m really excited that I stumbled onto a great company like GreenSoul. Picking my Spring shoes for this year is going to be super hard with all these wonderful eco options!